"Do you count your chickens before they hatch? Do you get all excited, expect the very best, and learn that your expectations were WAY too high? PREPARE YOURSELF! Expect the BEST, but be prepared to accept what comes your way. There are reasons that things don't go according to plan, and sometimes to your benefit! There are those annoying instances where someone builds you up only to let you down to the ground with a thud!

When I was a young girl, I usually received dolls for Christmas. One Christmas morning, there were no dolls under the tree. My stepmother told me she'd sent for a special offer of 100 dolls from around the world, and they hadn't arrive in time for Christmas. Knowing the 100 dolls were coming, I got even more excited, and the wait seemed forever. About one month later, a small box arrived. My stepmother said it was for me. Confused, I opened it to find 100 little pink plastic dolls similar to the toys one might find in Cracker Jacks. If you looked closely, you could find that the dolls were wearing native costumes from around the globe. On closer inspection, the dolls repeated themselves, so I had 10 dolls from 10 countries around the world. My stepmother laughed, but I was very disappointed inwardly. Outwardly, I said something to save her feelings and promptly stored the dolls in my room where they remained until I left home.

I learned a lesson from that experience. Things aren't always as they seem, and you need to prepare yourself for a less than perfect outcome. Being grateful for what you have and knowing that the universe is looking out for that special something for you down the road, lessens the feelings of disappointment. PREPARE YOURSELF!" ~ Freda M. Chaney